Ministers of Jesus Christ Church of The Lord Jesus Christ Assemblies of The Apostolic Faith Atlanta, Georgia - USA Apostle Dennis G. Smith, Pastor and Spiritual Overseer

                                                                                                                Date: April 12, 2020

To all the Saints of God,

Grace and peace be unto all the Saints of God around the World.  As this Coronavirus Pandemic continues, we are continually reminding the Saints of God that we are obeying the magistrates and following the guideline of the health and governmental authorities for the safety of all people.   In most places you are still under “Stay – At – Home” executive orders therefore public gathering has been canceled temporary to control or prevent the spreading of this virus.  All individuals subject to this policy must “STAY AT HOME” except for certain essential activities and work to provide life-sustaining business and government services.

Religious institutions
Religious leaders are encouraged to find alternatives to in-person gatherings and to avoid endangering their congregants. Individuals should not gather in religious buildings or homes for services or celebrations until the stay at home order is lifted.

Many States are under a Stay at Home Order through April 30. In Atlanta, Georgia the order has been updated and is now in effect until 11:59 p.m. Thursday, April 30, 2020.  This is subject to change again depending on the recommendation of health officials to the Magistrates and governmental officials.

As we obey the Magistrates, we have complete faith that God will continue to hear our prayers and provide a way for us through these uncertain times.

Romans 13:2-4 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain.

TITUS 3:1-2 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.      This week’s encouraging words of growth focuses on:

The Truth about Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

We believe that the Truth should be told about the Celebration or Christian Holiday called Easter.  As you are enjoying your annual holiday with family and friends, if you tell them that the Easter Bunny brought them the springtime gifts and painted eggs, you will be lying and committing sin.  You must learn to enjoy your family, friends, associates, colleagues, fellow Christian brothers and sisters through the unconditional love that Jesus Christ is pouring into your heart. And when you do this, you will be able to enjoy all family, national, and religious celebrations for what they commemorate or remind us about. It was through the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ that the power of hell and sin was broken. Jesus died a natural body but arose a spiritual body and told the Apostles “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15.

There is no judgment in any food, drink, or any holy days. Our salvation, love, nourishment, strength is from, through and in Jesus Christ.

COLOSSIANS 2:16 -19 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,  And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

ROM13:08 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

ROM13:09 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

ROM13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

We should always celebrate and commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ this day, every day of our life, and throughout all eternity by loving each other and living a holy life without practicing sin. 

 How did the Cross effect the salvation of human beings? His death shows people how much God loves them. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

JOHN 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ declared him to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (Romans 1:4)

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basis for the Christian hope for life after death; brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. I Thessalonians 4:14

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ established or is the basis of our faith and hope.  Without the Resurrection of Jesus Christ our faith and hope would be vain or useless. 1CORINTHIANS 15:12-18 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:   And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.  Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:   And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ground for living a holy life without sin walking in the  “newness of life” Romans 6:4- 6 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is also the ground to “seek the things that are above” (Colossians 3:1-4).If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ establishes the belief that Christ has all power and is present in and with his church. EPHESIANS 1:19 - 23 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the good news and gospel that we preach  1 Corinthians 15:1- 8 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;   And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:   And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:  After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.  After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.  And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

The Bible nowhere states that the day Christ arose was Easter. Easter, also called Resurrection Sunday,  is a festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus Christ.  Depending on one's views, the Passion of Jesus may include, among other events, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, his cleansing of the Temple, the woman anointing him, the Last Supper,  agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, his betrayal by Apostle Judas Iscariot and arrest, his Sanhedrin trial, his trial before Pontius Pilate, his crucifixion and his death on the cross, his burial, and the resurrection.  For many the suffering or Passion of Jesus Christ only includes his trials, crucifixion and death.

Have you ever considered that Easter comes at a different time each year? Then how could He be crucified on one date one year and on another date another year? That does not make good sense! Herod planned to bring Peter before the council after Easter as stated in the bible, but it does not say that Jesus arose this day. Herod and the Jews were not interested in the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus. The very reason the people wanted to kill Peter and the Apostles was that they were preaching the power of the resurrection. It was through the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus that the power of hell and sin was broken. Jesus died a natural body but arose a spiritual body and told the Apostles “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15.

The name Easter is traced back to the old German word, Eastre, (plural) Eastron, from the name of the old Teutonic “goddess of spring,” who was called - Eastra. NOTE THIS CAREFULLY: Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon that falls on or the next after the vernal equinox (March 21 in the Gregorian calendar); if the full moon happens on Sunday, Easter is celebrated one week later.

 We do not find the actual festival or Easter associated with the resurrection of Christ until the year 300 A.D. It was then looked upon as a joyous festival and sermons were preached on it. So then, Easter was simply a spring festival to the goddess, Easter which came around the time of the Jewish Passover and was later incorporated in the backslidden church. Dear reader, be not deceived and carried away by the customs of this world, for the people's customs are vain. Never use holidays as a point of judgement for sin and salvation. The Pope, himself, cannot prove Lent and all it stands for to be sanctioned or required for salvation by the scriptures, nor can anyone else. You may commemorate the Gospel, the acts and earthly life of Jesus Christ through holidays without lying. As you enjoy holidays and events do so in honesty showing a separated life style devoted to Christ. Jesus Christ wants us to be baptized in His name and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost speaking in other tongues according to Acts 2:38. He wants us to be holy and serve Him, not only on certain days and seasons of the year, but to live holy every day of our lives. ……… that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. Luke 1:73-75.

We continue to love the Brethren around the world and do not use the religious holidays as points of separation, contention or debate but we speak the truth in love reminding them of our biblical apostolic growth and heritage.

Perfect love always,

Apostle Dennis G. Smith

The summary from the Britannica, Wikipedia, World Book and other encyclopedias on the Easter Spring Festival is as follows:

Easter, Latin Pascha, Greek Pascha, principal festival of the Christian church, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. The earliest recorded observance of an Easter celebration comes from the 2nd century, though the commemoration of Jesus’ Resurrection probably occurred earlier. The English word Easter, which parallels the German word Ostern, is of uncertain origin. One view, expounded by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century, was that it derived from Eostre, or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. In the Christian calendar, Easter follows Lent, the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) before Easter, which traditionally is observed by acts of penance and fasting. Easter is immediately preceded by Holy Week, which includes Maundy Thursday, the commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples; Good Friday, the day of his Crucifixion; and Holy Saturday, the transition between Crucifixion and Resurrection.

The use of painted and decorated Easter eggs was first recorded in the 13th century. The church prohibited the eating of eggs during Holy Week the week from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday, but chickens continued to lay eggs during that week, and the notion of specially identifying those as “Holy Week” eggs brought about their decoration. The egg custom arose in western Europe during the Middle Ages as a result of the fact that Western Christians were prohibited from eating eggs during Lent, but were allowed to eat them when Easter arrived.  Eastertide customs include decorating Easter eggs, a symbol of the empty tomb, egg hunting, eating special Easter foods and watching Easter parades. The decorated Easter egg, for example, is an evolution of the egg as an ancient symbol of renewed life.

The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the season of Eastertide. The Easter Bunny is sometimes depicted with clothes. In legend, the creature carries colored eggs in his basket, candy, and sometimes also toys to the homes of children. The hare was the sacred beast of Eastre (or Ēostre), a Saxon goddess of Spring and of the dawn."  The belief that Ēostre had a hare companion who became the Easter Bunny was popularized when it was presented as fact in the BBC documentary Shadow of the Hare (1993).

Other references and excerts from the tract: False Lent and Pagan Festivals by Apostle S. C. Johnson

General Stay At Home Guidelines

 Stay home as much as possible. Try to get groceries once per week instead of daily. Freedom of travel remains, but please refrain from non-essential travel. Essential travel includes things like commuting to an essential job, picking up supplies like groceries and medicine, and checking on family and pets in other households. Do not host or attend gatherings.

 Most Schools are closed for the remainder of the school year or until further notice. Life-sustaining businesses  and services may continue to maintain in-person operations..

It is important that as many people as possible wear a nonmedical or homemade mask when leaving their homes. View instructions for how to make a homemade mask.

It is important to remember the reason is to prevent the medical facilities from having to turn away the sick due to no more space or people to care for them!!!

The more people who get sick at the same time, the more resources we will need quickly. Our health care system can only handle so many cases at a time. If medical professionals become overwhelmed, lives that otherwise could have been saved will be lost.

What Is Social Distancing?

Social distancing means staying away from close contact in public spaces. It includes actions like staying out of places where lots of people gather and maintaining distance — approximately 6 feet — from others.

Social distancing also includes minimizing contact with people by avoiding public transportation when possible, limiting nonessential travel, working from home, and skipping social gatherings.

All people should practice social distancing — not just those who are seriously ill or at high risk.

Social distancing is a proven way to slow the spread of pandemics.

When to Wear a Mask

Those who are staying home and have no close contacts who are infected with COIVID-19 don’t need a mask most of the time. However, wearing a nonmedical or homemade mask may be helpful in certain situations or for certain populations.

• Shopping at essential businesses, like grocery stores or pharmacies.
• While visiting your health care provider.
• Traveling on public transportation.
• Interacting with customers/clients at essential businesses.
• When feeling sick, coughing, or sneezing.

Because homemade masks protect everyone else from the droplets created by the wearer, it is
important that as many people as possible wear these masks when leaving their homes.

This helps prevent those who may be infectious but are only mildly symptomatic or not symptomatic from spreading the virus to others in the community.

Everyone should remember the phrase: “My mask protects you, your mask protects me.” By increasing the overall number of people who are containing their coughs, sneezes, and other droplets, it will help us control the overall spread of the virus.

Best Practices for Homemade Masks

The best practices for making and wearing fabric or cloth masks include:

• Consider buying materials online to avoid exposure in public places.
• Purchase masks made by small businesses, saving medical masks for health care workers.
• Before putting on a mask, clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
• The mask should fit snugly around the mouth and nose.
• If the mask has a metal wire it should be fitted snuggly to the bridge of the nose.
• Avoid touching the mask while using it, if you do wash your hands with soap and water or
  alcohol-based hand rub.
• Made out of two layers of tightly woven 100% cotton fabric.
• Be discarded or washed after every use.
• Should not be worn damp or when wet from spit or mucus.
• To remove the mask: remove it from behind, do not touch the front of mask.
• The wearer should immediately wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds after
  removing the mask.

How to Make a Homemade Mask

Here’s how to make a mask at home.

Materials needed:

• Fabric (100% cotton is most effective)
• Fabric Ties
• Scissors
• Sewing machine or a needle and thread

Instructions:

• Measure and cut two pieces of fabric in a rectangle pattern to fit snugly around the face (size
  12 inches by 6 inches is standard for adults).
• Tightly sew both layers together on all edges.
• Cut fabric ties to fit around the ears.
• Sew the ties to the insides of the mask on the smaller edge, repeat on both sides.
• Resew the sides to ensure a tight seal between both pieces of fabric and the earpiece.